Afghanistan collapse twice to hand Zimbabwe innings-win

Richard Ngarava's maiden five-wicket haul hastened Afghanistan's collapse on Day 3 as Zimbabwe sealed an emphatic win in the one-off Test in Harare - by an innings and 73 runs. Afghanistan were bowled out for 159 in their second innings, handing the hosts their second Test victory of the year.

Resuming at 34 for 1 and trailing by 198 runs, Afghanistan endured a torrid morning session, slipping to 60 for 4. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was caught behind off a sharp short ball from Tanaka Chivanga, while Ngarava struck twice in quick succession - Ibrahim Zadran gloved one down the leg side before Hashmatullah Shahidi edged to second slip.

Afsar Zazai and Bahir Shah attempted a brief recovery, adding 49 for the fifth wicket, but Blessing Muzarabani broke the stand with a well-directed bouncer that had Shah caught at fine leg. By Lunch, Afghanistan were tottering at 127 for 6, with Zazai chipping Chivanga to point.

Sharafuddin Ashraf enjoyed an early reprieve after Lunch when a snorter from Chivanga brushed the shoulder of his bat, only for the bowler to have overstepped. But the luck was short-lived. Ismat Alam soon perished to Ngarava, who was superbly aided by wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga's one-handed diving catch. Ashraf followed soon after, edging to second slip to give Ngarava his fifth wicket.

Yamin Ahmadzai and Khalil Gurbaz tried to offer some late resistance, striking a few boundaries, though Ngarava missed a return catch off Ahmadzai. Muzarabani then wrapped up proceedings in the 43rd over, bowling both Gurbaz and Rahman Sharifi to complete Zimbabwe's commanding triumph.

Zimbabwe's dominance had been set up earlier by Brad Evans, who marked his return with a five-wicket haul to bowl Afghanistan out for 127 in the first innings. The hosts then piled up 359, thanks to a maiden Test hundred from Ben Curran and valuable contributions from Sikandar Raza, Evans, and Brendan Taylor, before their seamers skittled Afghanistan a second time to seal victory with two full days and a session to spare.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 127 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 37, Abdul Malik 30; Brad Evans 5-22, Blessing Muzarabani 3-47) & 159 (Ibrahim Zadran 42, Bahir Shah 32; Richard Ngarava 5-37, Blessing Muzarabani 4-38) lost to Zimbabwe 359 (Ben Curran 121, Sikandar Raza 65; Ziaur Rahman Sharifi 7-97) by an innings & 73 runs.